Digitally controlled power supply apparatus and production management system

Abstract

A digitally controlled power supply apparatus includes: a switching device converting an input voltage to output a converted voltage based on gate signals that it has received; a smoothing circuit smoothing the converted voltage to output a power supply voltage; an AD converter AD converting the power supply voltage from the smoothing circuit to output a power supply voltage digital data; a PID controller performing PID control operation to an error between a setpoint and the power supply voltage digital data; a switching drive circuit generating gate signals, based on an operation outcome of the PID controller; a control parameter adjuster dynamically performing automatic adjustment of control parameters of the PID controller, based on a history of fluctuations indicated in samplings of the power supply voltage digital data; and a control parameter output unit outputting the control parameters of the PID controller.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A digitally controlled power supply apparatus, comprising:
 a switching device for converting a given input voltage to output a converted voltage by being on/off driven in accordance with gate signals that the switching device receives; 
 a smoothing circuit for smoothing the converted voltage outputted by the switching device to output a power supply voltage; 
 an analog-digital converter for analog-digital converting the power supply voltage outputted by the smoothing circuit to output a power supply voltage digital data; 
 a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for performing PID control operation to an error between a setpoint and the power supply voltage digital data outputted by the analog-digital converter; 
 a switching drive circuit for generating gate signals for on/off driving the switching device, based on an operation outcome of the PID controller; 
 a control parameter adjuster for dynamically performing automatic adjustment of control parameters used for the PID control operation by the PID controller, based on a history of fluctuations indicated in samplings of the power supply voltage digital data; 
 a control parameter output unit for outputting the control parameters adjusted by the control parameter adjuster and used for the PID control operation by the PID controller; and 
 a control parameter determination unit for determining whether or not the control parameters outputted by the control parameter output unit satisfy a predetermined abnormality determination condition, 
 wherein the abnormality determination condition is based on a rate of change of at least one of the control parameters. 
 
     
     
       2. The digitally controlled power supply apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an alarm output unit for outputting a maintenance alarm when the control parameter determination unit has determined that the abnormality determination condition is satisfied. 
     
     
       3. A production management system, comprising:
 a cell controller mutually communicably connected with a manufacturing cell including a plurality of manufacturing machines for controlling the manufacturing machines,
 each of the plurality of manufacturing machines being equipped with a digitally controlled power supply apparatus comprising:
 a switching device for converting a given input voltage to output a converted voltage by being on/off driven in accordance with gate signals that the switching device receives; 
 a smoothing circuit for smoothing the converted voltage outputted by the switching device to output a power supply voltage; 
 an analog-digital converter for analog-digital converting the power supply voltage outputted by the smoothing circuit to output a power supply voltage digital data; 
 a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for performing PID control operation to an error between a setpoint and the power supply voltage digital data outputted by the analog-digital converter; 
 a switching drive circuit for generating gate signals for on/off driving the switching device, based on an operation outcome of the PID controller; 
 a control parameter adjuster for dynamically performing automatic adjustment of control parameters used for the PID control operation by the PID controller, based on a history of fluctuations indicated in samplings of the power supply voltage digital data; and 
 a control parameter output unit for outputting the control parameters adjusted by the control parameter adjuster and used for the PID control operation by the PID controller; and 
 
 
 a production management apparatus mutually communicably connected with the cell controller, for giving an instruction of a production plan to the cell controller; 
 wherein at least one of the manufacturing machines, the cell controller and the production management apparatus comprises:
 a control parameter determination unit for determining whether or not the control parameters outputted by the control parameter output unit satisfy an abnormality determination condition; and 
 an alarm output unit for outputting a maintenance alarm when the control parameter determination unit has determined that the predetermined abnormality determination condition is satisfied, and 
 
 wherein the abnormality determination condition is based on a rate of change of at least one of the control parameters. 
 
     
     
       4. A production management system, comprising:
 a cell controller equipped with a digitally controlled power supply apparatus and mutually communicably connected with a plurality of manufacturing machines constituting a manufacturing cell, for controlling the manufacturing machines,
 the digitally controlled power supply apparatus comprising:
 a switching device for converting a given input voltage to output a converted voltage by being on/off driven in accordance with gate signals that the switching device receives; 
 a smoothing circuit for smoothing the converted voltage outputted by the switching device to output a power supply voltage; 
 an analog-digital converter for analog-digital converting the power supply voltage outputted by the smoothing circuit to output a power supply voltage digital data; 
 a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for performing PID control operation to an error between a setpoint and the power supply voltage digital data outputted by the analog-digital converter; 
 a switching drive circuit for generating gate signals for on/off driving the switching device, based on an operation outcome of the PID controller; 
 a control parameter adjuster for dynamically performing automatic adjustment of control parameters used for the PID control operation by the PID controller, based on a history of fluctuations indicated in samplings of the power supply voltage digital data; and 
 a control parameter output unit for outputting the control parameters adjusted by the control parameter adjuster and used for the PID control operation by the PID controller; and 
 
 
 a production management apparatus mutually communicably connected with the cell controller, for giving an instruction of a production plan to the cell controller; 
 wherein the production management apparatus comprises:
 a control parameter determination unit for determining whether or not the control parameters outputted by the control parameter output unit satisfy a predetermined abnormality determination condition; and 
 an alarm output unit for outputting a maintenance alarm when the control parameter determination unit has determined that the abnormality determination condition is satisfied, and 
 
 wherein the abnormality determination condition is based on a rate of change of at least one of the control parameters. 
 
     
     
       5. A production management system, comprising:
 a cell controller mutually communicably connected with a plurality of manufacturing machines constituting a manufacturing cell, for controlling the manufacturing machines; and 
 a production management apparatus mutually communicably connected with the cell controller, for giving an instruction of a production plan to the cell controller; 
 wherein at least one of the cell controller and the production management apparatus is equipped with a digitally controlled power supply apparatus comprising:
 a switching device for converting a given input voltage to output a converted voltage by being on/off driven in accordance with gate signals that the switching device receives; 
 a smoothing circuit for smoothing the converted voltage outputted by the switching device to output a power supply voltage; 
 an analog-digital converter for analog-digital converting the power supply voltage outputted by the smoothing circuit to output a power supply voltage digital data; 
 a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for performing PID control operation to an error between a setpoint and the power supply voltage digital data outputted by the analog-digital converter; 
 a switching drive circuit for generating gate signals for on/off driving the switching device, based on an operation outcome of the PID controller; 
 a control parameter adjuster for dynamically performing automatic adjustment of control parameters used for the PID control operation by the PID controller, based on a history of fluctuations indicated in samplings of the power supply voltage digital data; 
 a control parameter output unit for outputting the control parameters adjusted by the control parameter adjuster and used for the PID control operation by the PID controller; 
 a control parameter determination unit for determining whether or not the control parameters outputted by the control parameter output unit satisfy a predetermined abnormality determination condition; and 
 an alarm output unit for outputting a maintenance alarm when the control parameter determination unit has determined that the abnormality determination condition is satisfied, 
 wherein the abnormality determination condition is based on a rate of change of at least one of the control parameters.